Before Entering the Heart of Darkness
by Sheba the Lone Wolf
Summary: Before Hige entered Jaguara's keep, Blue wanted him to know that she loved him. Hige/Blue. One-shot. Fluff.


**Disclaimer: Sheba the Lone Wolf does not own Wolf's Rain. **

**Pairings: Hige/Blue. **

**A/N: For a change of pace and as an improvement, I'm rewriting all of my Wolf's Rain one-shots. I've pondered on doing this for awhile and I finally decided it was for the best. So, this is among the first of them. Please read and review. **

**Before Entering the Heart of Darkness**

"Blue, I have to go."

Sadness lingering in his essence, Hige gazed blankly at the winding electrical wires below, massive and menacing, arriving from the unknown and leading beneath the treacherous keep of Lady Jaguara.

"You're going to save them, aren't you?" Blue inquired. She stood beside him, longing to embrace and comfort him in his toughest of times.

"Yeah. I have to at least try. I guess I always thought it was luck that brought me to them. What a joke. I was nothing but trouble for those guys from the beginning," Hige replied. He studied the massive wires below, which carried electricity into Lady Jaguara's keep. He couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes. Blue placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder.

"That's not true," Blue said.

"Yes, it is," Hige insisted. "But I honestly didn't remember anything. I just thought we could all make it to paradise. The whole way here that's all that was going through my mind."

He sighed, heavily, and continued, "And then we ended up in this place."

With tears brimming in his eyes, Hige forced himself to look into the beautiful, deep azure of Blue's eyes. Carefully, he caressed her cheek, smiling as she leaned into his palm.

"That's why I have to go," he finished.

"Then I'll go with you!" Blue replied. His hand fell to his side and he forced himself to smile again.

"I knew you would say that, but I can't let you," Hige said. Tears brimmed in her azure eyes.

"Why not?!" she demanded.

"I need you to wait here," he replied.

"No, Hige!" Blue insisted. "Don't leave me behind!"

Hige understood why Blue would feel abandoned after he left; so many others had abandoned her before. Her mother and father had abandoned her when she was a pup; her master had left her to die in his relentless desire to murder a wolf. A silent tear trickled down her cheek and, with a single finger, Hige tilted her chin upward. With his free hand, he wiped her tears from her face. With a soft smile, he traced her lips with a finger.

"I won't," he promised. "Please, Blue, if I know you're waiting for me, I'll make it back no matter what. It's the only thing that can get me through this. If I know you're here, I won't give up. I'll do whatever it takes to make it back to you, Blue. I promise I'll never leave you alone, Blue."

Blue threw her arms around Hige's neck and buried her face in his chest. His wet shirt clinging to him and hearing her soft sobs, he allowed a single tear to trickle down his own face. Resting his face in the nape of her neck, he returned her embrace. And, for now, both felt completely safe.

With a gentle hand on his cheek, Blue closed her eyes and leaned closer. He held her close, brushing his lips against hers. She returned his kiss and, for precious seconds, the two forgot the world around them and the danger that would lie ahead.

Parting from Blue's lips, Hige whispered, "Oh, Blue…"

Resting her head on his chest, she listened to the soft beating of his heart. Closing her eyes, she wished that she could forever remain in the warmth and safety of Hige's arms.

"Hige," Blue whispered. "I love you."

"I love you too, Blue," Hige replied. For precious minutes, he savored this moment and, at last, found the strength to release her.

"I promise I'll pull through," Hige said. "For you."

His lips brushed her forehead before he turned and leapt into the valley of cement and electrical cords below. Blue watched as Hige disappeared from her sight and, sitting down against the alley wall, pulled her knees against her chest. Glancing down at the tangled mess of wires below, Blue made her final request.

"Be safe."

**A/N: I like how this turned out. It's much better than the original; I'm glad I'm rewriting my older one-shots. Well, I'm actually rewriting all of them, but I'm trying to do the best ones first. Please review. **

**~Sheba~**


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